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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — of the year
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hand — help
  7. swing — to play on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. swing — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bowl — a football final

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