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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — in golf
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — a country
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — ground
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cold — not warm
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — to handle
  21. kid — child
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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