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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 124 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. swing — in golf
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rash — hasty
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — the animal

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