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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — in golf
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. swing — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. chair — to sit 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