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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — letters
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — magic
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — a safe
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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