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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fall — the season
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lean — thin
  10. mug — to rob
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mug — a cup
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — a face
  18. swing — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — a sports field

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