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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — the time now
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — there
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. present — a gift
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. swing — music

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