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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fine — all right
  12. rock — music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. fine — high quality
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — a stone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. fork — to eat with

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