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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — a match
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. object — to protest
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — all right
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — high quality
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hand — in cards

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