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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · chair · arm · swing · wind · club

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. club — for golf
  3. swing — in golf
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air

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