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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cap — a lid
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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