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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. swing — music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — a subject
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. scale — in music
  19. field — for sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tube — a container

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