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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. key — the most important part
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mate — to breed
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. key — in music
  24. mate — a friend

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