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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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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: sharp · season · scale · mate · chest · fan · swing · dip

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — in sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — to breed
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chest — a box
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — clever
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — a partner
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — to cool the air

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