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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. swing — music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. swing — in golf
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. scale — size or range
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a match
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. scale — in music
  24. pass — to spend time

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