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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. swing — music
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. toast — bread
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bark — to shout
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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