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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. game — a match
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fork — to eat with

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