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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kid — child
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. swing — to play on
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — to tease
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cell — in biology
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — a list

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