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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — a country
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. swing — music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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