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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. swing — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. swing — in golf
  9. last — final
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — to bear
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — a loud noise

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