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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 · snap · sharp · bat · tear · board · toast · staff

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tear — to rip
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. swing — in golf
  16. sharp — clever
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. swing — to play on
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. board — to get on
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. snap — to click

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