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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — for light
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. swing — music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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