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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — for digging
  7. date — the fruit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. swing — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — a match
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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