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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ground — a position
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. toast — bread
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hand — help
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. swing — music

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