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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. 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. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spell — letters
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tube — a container
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — magic
  18. 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