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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a ring
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. sharp — clever
  23. band — a music group
  24. rash — a series

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