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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: prune · mug · sharp · mine · scale · swing · suit · bat

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. suit — clothes
  3. scale — in music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. prune — to trim
  6. swing — in golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. swing — to play on
  11. suit — to fit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mine — for digging
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mug — a face
  24. scale — size or range

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