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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — help
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cold — not warm
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. swing — in golf

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