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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. swing — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — the earth
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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