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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — music
  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