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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. suit — in cards
  3. land — to come down
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. suit — to fit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. suit — clothes
  9. snap — to click
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — ground
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. land — a country
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. swing — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in a prison

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