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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — in golf
  4. row — a line
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. court — for sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lean — thin
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of law
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — of a king
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lean — to bend
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. swing — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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