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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. swing — music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kick — in football
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fall — to drop

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