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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — crushed
  5. capital — money
  6. rock — music
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. capital — a city
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. swing — in golf

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