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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — in sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pop — soda
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — music
  22. net — for catching
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hide — animal skin

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