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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · straw · spring · swing · bowl · court · dip · bat

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bat — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. swing — to play on
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. swing — in golf
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — of water

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