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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — final
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — in cards
  11. charge — a price
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — finally
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a face
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — to crush

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