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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. track — a song
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. swing — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stem — to come from
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a path
  18. scale — in music
  19. game — a match
  20. season — of the year
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — a break
  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