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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. swing — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. staff — a stick
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — an illness
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. swing — in golf
  13. present — the time now
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. present — a gift

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