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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. content — happy
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pop — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — the season
  20. drill — a practice
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fall — to drop

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