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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: kid · sharp · swing · nail · pitcher · rash · stand · date

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. kid — child
  4. rash — a series
  5. swing — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — to play on

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