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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. land — a country
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. deal — to handle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — ground
  24. deal — a big deal

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