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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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