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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. swing — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — in cards
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. suit — to fit
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bark — to shout
  20. suit — clothes
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. staff — employees

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