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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. swing — in golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mate — to breed
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. clip — a video
  20. game — a match
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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