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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. club — for golf
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. pitch — completely
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — a group
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. swing — music
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — a trail

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