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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. swing — in golf
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rock — a stone
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mate — to breed

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