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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — ground
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. track — a song
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. track — a path
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — a box

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