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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. season — of the year
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — in sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. swing — in golf
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. swing — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  24. mug — a face

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