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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 120 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — child
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. swing — music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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