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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: chair · rock · stick · wave · snap · dip · swing · spell

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — a short time
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rock — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rock — a stone

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