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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a great time
  4. net — after costs
  5. track — a song
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — letters
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. ball — a dance
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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