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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. rush — hurry
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. object — a thing
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — after costs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — an aim

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