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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. scale — in music
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. swing — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. sharp — exactly
  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