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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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 — to roll
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. swing — to play on
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  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