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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chest — of your body
  3. squash — to crush
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — in golf
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. firm — decided
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — for golf
  15. firm — steady
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. firm — a company

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