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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kid — child
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. net — in sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chair — a leader

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