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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — a song
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — a path
  5. spell — magic
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — a short time
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lean — thin
  16. row — a line
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. swing — music
  24. bat — for baseball

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