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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lean — thin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. swing — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — a container
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mate — a friend

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