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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — music
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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