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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. scale — in music
  8. object — to protest
  9. wound — an injury
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. swing — music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. last — final
  23. spring — of water
  24. swing — to play on

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