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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. swing — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. firm — a company
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — all right
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — high quality
  13. scale — size or range
  14. clip — a video
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — to sink
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. clip — for paper

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