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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 124 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fall — the season
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — letters
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. swing — music
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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