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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — a match
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — letters
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. swing — to play on
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — certain
  16. spell — a short time
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. bound — tied together
  20. can — to be able to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a kind of play

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