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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.

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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: pitcher · swing · rule · saw · fork · can · club · chest

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. swing — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — government
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — a law
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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