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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spell — letters
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. swing — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mate — a friend
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mate — to breed

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