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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: swing · plane · rush · hand · suit · cold · chair · cell

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rush — hurry
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. swing — music
  23. cell — in biology
  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