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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mug — a face
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chest — a box
  21. clip — a video
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — all right
  24. swing — to play 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