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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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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: ground · bowl · sharp · rock · swing · cell · cap · wind

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — the earth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — in biology
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a lid
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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