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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a document
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — soda
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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