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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. rock — a stone
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. scale — size or range
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rock — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. scale — in music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stand — to bear
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — music

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