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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — in golf
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. season — in sport
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bark — to shout
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. suit — in cards
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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