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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. hand — help
  11. toast — bread
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chest — a box
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. present — there

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