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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. swing — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — a short time
  6. club — for golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spell — letters
  10. club — for dancing
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — magic
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — a group
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. swing — in golf
  24. foot — part of the 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