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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a great time
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — a professorship

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