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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: bat · swing · mug · row · trunk · bass · cap · season

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cap — a hat
  6. swing — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — a line
  23. mug — a face
  24. season — in sport

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