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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. swing — to play on
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. squash — the sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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