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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. net — for catching
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — a trail
  19. net — in sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — after costs
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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