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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — music
  9. club — a group
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. shower — rain
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. club — for golf
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — in golf

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