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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — in golf
  13. court — for sport
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — a break
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of a king
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. safe — a strongbox

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