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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: sharp · bat · snap · bark · club · suit · stand · swing

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. snap — to click
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. club — a group
  14. swing — in golf
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. suit — to fit
  23. club — for dancing
  24. suit — in cards

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