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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rash — a series
  8. chair — a leader
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — what's left
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rest — a break
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. swing — to play on
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com