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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 116 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. swing — music
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — a leader

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