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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: pit · fine · chair · staff · swing · wound · wake · bowl

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. swing — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — all right
  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