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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.

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: firm · chair · mark · ball · shower · wound · swing · cap

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — decided
  3. swing — music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. firm — steady
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — in golf
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cap — a lid
  15. firm — a company
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mark — a grade
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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