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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rule — government
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — a law
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — a box
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — size or range
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fine — high quality

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