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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 124 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — to handle
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bank — for money
  15. pop — soda
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hand — in cards
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. swing — music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. deal — a big deal

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