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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pit — a hole
  12. firm — decided
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. firm — a company
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — a supporter

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