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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to click
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cabinet — ministers

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