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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a match
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. swing — music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. dip — to sink
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bowl — to roll

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