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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. present — the time now
  9. march — the month
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mate — a friend
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. present — there
  16. swing — to play on
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fall — the season

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