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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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Word bank
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — magic
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tube — a container
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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