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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fall — the season
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — music
  8. march — music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — music
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — soda
  19. swing — to play on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stand — to bear

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