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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — certain
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rash — a series
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wake — before a funeral

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