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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. plane — a tool
  9. squash — the sport
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — help
  12. current — of water
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — in cards
  16. squash — to crush
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. swing — music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. current — happening now
  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