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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · toast · swing · mug · club · stick

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — a face
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. swing — music
  5. club — for golf
  6. toast — bread
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. club — for dancing
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mug — a cup
  18. club — a group

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