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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · lean · saw · game · mouse · bat · swing · mark

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. game — a match
  24. lean — thin

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