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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. swing — in golf
  4. last — finally
  5. net — after costs
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — a grade
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mark — a trace
  14. swing — to play on
  15. last — final
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. roll — a list
  19. fine — all right
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — for catching
  22. kid — child
  23. last — to go on
  24. net — in sport

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