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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 116 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: key · wind · stand · bore · bat · swing · fine · rush

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fine — all right
  21. stand — to bear
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. swing — music

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