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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — a series
  23. cap — a hat
  24. swing — to play on

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