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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. swing — in golf
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wave — with your hand
  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