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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: swing · straw · mug · game · foot · leaves · spell · court

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. swing — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — a face
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. court — of law
  24. swing — in golf

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