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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. swing — in golf
  5. march — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — a box
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — for catching
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — music
  24. chest — of your body

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