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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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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: mug · chest · cap · staff · court · wound · mine · swing

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — a face
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — an explosive

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