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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: present · chest · mark · mug · club · swing · ground · foot

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. club — a group
  3. mug — to rob
  4. present — a gift
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chest — a box
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. ground — a position
  14. swing — music
  15. foot — a measure
  16. club — for golf
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mug — a face
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. foot — part of the body

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