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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. swing — music
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. swing — in golf
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — the sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — of the year
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — to sink

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