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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bass — the fish
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. net — in sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — to come down
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — low music
  16. toast — bread
  17. net — for catching
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. present — a gift
  20. land — a country
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — after costs
  24. swing — music

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