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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — what's left
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — a price
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — a break
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. club — for golf
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — in control

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