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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — in golf
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — a gift
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. present — the time now
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — there
  15. mine — for digging
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a song
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chip — to eat
  24. swing — music

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