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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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