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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. charge — a price
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. swing — music
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. land — ground
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. present — a gift
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. present — there
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — a contest
  21. charge — electricity
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — humankind
  24. charge — in control

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