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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. present — there
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in biology
  12. swing — to play on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. land — ground
  15. present — the time now
  16. race — humankind
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. present — a gift
  24. race — a contest

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