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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. race — a contest
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. row — a line
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — of the year
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — the arms race
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kid — child
  23. swing — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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