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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. net — in sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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