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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — child
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bat — the animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kid — to tease

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