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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a document
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — completely
  24. season — in sport

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