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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. swing — in golf
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. track — to keep track
  8. firm — a company
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — finally
  11. mine — for digging
  12. swing — to play on
  13. last — final
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. firm — steady
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — decided
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fine — all right
  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