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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. file — a document
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a line of people
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — to wash
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. swing — music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — 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