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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — thin
  3. firm — steady
  4. club — for dancing
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. firm — a company
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. swing — in golf
  19. club — for golf
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. firm — decided

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