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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. swing — to play on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — certain
  9. cap — a hat
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. club — for golf
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cap — a lid
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. club — a group
  24. swing — music

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