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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spell — magic
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. swing — to play on
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. shower — rain
  16. mate — a friend
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — to wash

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