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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. firm — steady
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — the season
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. firm — decided
  10. track — a song
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — for sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. court — of law
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. swing — music
  24. 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