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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. swing — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a match
  10. stand — to bear
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — the month
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. march — music

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