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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fine — high quality
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — a coil
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — to get on
  18. fine — all right
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mark — a trace

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