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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. present — a gift
  10. pitch — completely
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — child
  15. present — there
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. leaves — to go away

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