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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — to play on
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — a professorship

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