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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — child
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — low music
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. swing — to play on

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