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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — the season
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spell — magic
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. game — wild animals

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