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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. swing — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. swing — to play on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — completely
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — to get on
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — a line
  17. spell — letters
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. board — a committee
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  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