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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. swing — in golf
  3. can — to be able to
  4. swing — music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. race — a contest
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a face
  10. race — humankind
  11. can — a tin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mug — to rob
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — a tin
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. swing — to play on
  24. plane — in geometry

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