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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. swing — music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ball — a great time
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pound — a weight
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a dance
  18. board — a committee
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cell — in a prison

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