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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — there
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — the time now
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pass — a permit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. swing — to play on
  15. present — a gift
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. race — humankind
  18. spring — of water
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — a contest
  23. ball — a great time
  24. jam — in traffic

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