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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hand — help
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — a phone
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. safe — a strongbox

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