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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: march · dip · patient · swing · lie · vault · club · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — for dancing
  3. march — the month
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. vault — a safe
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — to sink
  16. swing — to play on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. swing — music
  19. lie — to recline
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — music
  22. club — for golf
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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