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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. craft — boats
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a music group
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spell — a short time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ball — a dance
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. swing — in golf
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. craft — a skill
  19. band — a ring
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spell — magic
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. swing — music
  24. bowl — a dish

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