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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bear — the animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. file — a tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — to breed
  15. swing — music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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