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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. swing — music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. board — to get on
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — a container
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — a professorship

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