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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: snap · bowl · pop · straw · board · swing · key · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. swing — to play on
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pop — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — for a lock
  13. snap — to click
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cold — not warm
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — a committee
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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