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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. bound — tied together
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bound — obliged
  16. swing — music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to click
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bound — certain

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