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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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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: dip · game · squash · face · swing · arm · fork · mug

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to confront
  18. fork — in a road
  19. swing — in golf
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mug — a cup
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. face — part of the head

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