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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. game — a match
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. root — the cause
  16. season — in sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — of a word
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tear — to rip
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chest — of your body

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