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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. land — a country
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — of the year
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. swing — music
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — in sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pop — music
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mouse — for a computer

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