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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — to play on
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — to trim
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. swing — in golf

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