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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. current — of water
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pit — in a race
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to succeed

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