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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. club — for golf
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. club — for dancing
  24. swing — music

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