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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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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. net — in sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rest — a break
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — for catching
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — for baseball

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