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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. swing — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — a phone
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. swing — in golf
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — government

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