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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bound — obliged
  3. suit — in cards
  4. swing — in golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. swing — music
  7. field — farmland
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bound — tied together

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