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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — a face
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. suit — in cards
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pit — a hole
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mug — a cup
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. swing — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — for baseball

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