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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: pop · can · lean · snap · bat · swing · fine · plane

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. pop — soda
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fine — all right
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. swing — to play on
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. can — to be able to
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. plane — an aircraft

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