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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · can · swing · fine · bat · present · row

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. swing — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. present — a gift
  14. fine — all right
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fine — high quality

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