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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. game — wild animals
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. game — a match
  21. march — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a kind of play

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