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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a line of people
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a document
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rash — hasty

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