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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fall — the season
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — of water
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — happening now
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — a box
  18. current — electric
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lean — to bend
  24. sharp — with an edge

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