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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pop — soda
  4. present — there
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — the time now
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pop — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cold — not warm
  20. swing — to play on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — to visit
  24. swing — music

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