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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — thin
  5. fine — high quality
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. swing — to play on
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — in golf

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