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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rock — music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. land — a country
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bore — to drill
  11. swing — to play on
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spell — magic
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rock — a stone
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — letters

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