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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — a face
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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