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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: swing · game · key · wind · season · lash · bowl · bay

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — the most important part
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. game — a match
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — in music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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