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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. firm — steady
  4. cold — not warm
  5. swing — music
  6. firm — a company
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. firm — decided
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — of a word
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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