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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. row — a line
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hand — help
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. swing — music
  12. fine — all right
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — high quality
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — to play on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rush — hurry
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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