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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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 — exactly
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. swing — to play on
  21. field — a subject
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — farmland
  24. nail — for a hammer

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