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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. object — to protest
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ball — a great time
  9. object — a thing
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to click
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. object — an aim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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