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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: straw · wake · pass · bat · net · swing · content · prune

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. swing — to play on
  15. net — after costs
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — a trail

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