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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. staff — employees
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — in golf
  9. present — a gift
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — the time now
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. staff — employees
  24. present — there

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