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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bank — of a river
  11. club — for golf
  12. swing — music
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — for money

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