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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 ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — help
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — in a race
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chest — a box
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — music
  24. pit — a hole

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