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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mug — a face
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mug — a cup
  23. swing — music
  24. roll — a list

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