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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ground — a position
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. charge — a price
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. charge — in control
  19. rash — a series
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stand — on your feet

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