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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. swing — in golf
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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