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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. track — a song
  4. pop — to visit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — to keep track
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. swing — to play on
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. track — a path
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pop — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bound — certain
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — obliged

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