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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hand — help
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — a group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — for dancing
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — all right
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for golf
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — a face

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