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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: saw · season · bay · fan · race · face · swing · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. race — humankind
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — music
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — to point toward
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. season — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. race — a contest

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