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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mug — a cup
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mug — to rob
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mug — a face
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — music

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