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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. swing — music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — in golf
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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