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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. swing — in golf
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a match
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. swing — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rush — hurry
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. object — a thing
  24. cell — in biology

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