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

Word bank: fine · deal · bat · dip · swing · wound · object · wave

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. object — to protest
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. object — an aim
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wave — 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