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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mark — a grade
  4. club — a group
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mark — a trace
  13. club — for golf
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — music
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. arm — part of the body

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