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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. swing — music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. toast — bread
  24. kid — child

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