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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pass — a permit
  6. swing — music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. racket — for tennis

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