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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. spring — the season
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — to crush
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — to grow
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. suit — clothes
  19. chip — to eat
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. swing — music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the sport

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