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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. swing — music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. toast — bread
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rest — a break
  10. game — wild animals
  11. swing — to play on
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — a match
  20. cap — a hat
  21. club — a group
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. swing — in golf

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