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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. swing — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. squash — to crush
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the sport
  11. swing — to play on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — in golf
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — 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