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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mug — to rob
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tube — a container
  13. game — a match
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. swing — music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — low music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mine — an explosive

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