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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. squash — to crush
  4. court — of law
  5. swing — in golf
  6. object — a thing
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — to protest
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. squash — the sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. file — a tool

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