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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — a match
  5. swing — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — a cup
  11. firm — decided
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. firm — steady
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — a face
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. firm — a company
  24. pass — a permit

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