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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. snap — to click
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pop — soda
  16. swing — in golf
  17. club — for golf
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — magic
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. club — a group
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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