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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. drill — army training
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stem — a stem cell

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