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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — there
  3. spell — magic
  4. swing — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. spell — letters
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — soda
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. swing — in golf
  13. present — the time now
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ball — a great time
  17. game — a match
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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