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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. march — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. club — for dancing
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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