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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: fall · stick · patient · file · fine · swing · staff · squash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — high quality
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — all right
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. file — a document
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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