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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 · sharp · cabinet · bowl · shower · roll · band · foot

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. foot — a measure
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. roll — a list
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. swing — in golf
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — to play on
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — rain
  24. roll — on a roll

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