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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — in sport
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. swing — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — all right
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. track — a song
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — in golf
  22. track — a path
  23. pop — soda
  24. spring — of water

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