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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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 — in golf
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — tied together
  10. swing — to play on
  11. scale — in music
  12. pound — a weight
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chip — to eat
  18. march — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. scale — size or range
  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