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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pound — a weight
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ball — a great time
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wake — a trail

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