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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pass — a permit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — a sports field

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