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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. swing — music
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a ring
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. band — a rubber band

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