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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. swing — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. swing — to play on
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rest — a break
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a document

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