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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — music
  5. shower — rain
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. game — wild animals
  9. swing — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. swing — to play on
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stand — to bear

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