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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — to get on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — to come from
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — music
  24. bowl — to roll

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