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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — a match
  5. lean — thin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in a prison

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