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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chest — a box
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. swing — in golf
  14. season — of the year
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. swing — to play on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. key — in music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chest — of your body

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