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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — decided
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — steady
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — a tool
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. firm — a company
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — help
  19. swing — to play on
  20. hand — in cards
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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