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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. game — a match
  5. swing — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — all right
  9. swing — in golf
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bound — certain
  13. drill — army training
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. deal — to handle
  17. drill — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a ring
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bound — obliged
  24. drill — a practice

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