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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. net — after costs
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — crushed
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — for catching
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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