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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cell — in biology
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — wild animals
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — certain
  19. game — a match
  20. cell — a phone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bound — obliged
  23. net — after costs
  24. bound — tied together

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