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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. shower — rain
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mate — a partner
  7. toast — bread
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mate — a friend
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chest — of your body
  24. board — to get on

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