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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cue — a hint
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. branch — a division
  8. mine — for digging
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. swing — music
  17. march — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — the month
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rest — what's left

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