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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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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — to shout
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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