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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mug — to rob
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bound — tied together
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pop — soda
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mug — a cup

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