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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 116 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. swing — music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — in golf
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — in music
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for dancing

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