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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. swing — in golf
  6. row — a line
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. firm — a company
  9. charge — electricity
  10. row — to paddle
  11. swing — music
  12. kid — child
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. charge — in control
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — to play on
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. charge — a price
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pit — in a race

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