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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bass — low music
  17. press — to push
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — a box
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. calf — a young animal

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