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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. foot — a measure
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — to go on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — final
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. foot — part of the body

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