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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. swing — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bat — the animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. arm — part of the body

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