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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spell — a short time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. club — a group

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