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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. swing — in golf
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. swing — to play on
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — electric
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. current — of water
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. face — to confront
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stand — on your feet

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