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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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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: swing · present · club · calf · key · bat · stand · bear

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — there
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. present — a gift
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — the time now

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