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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: swing · deal · squash · bowl · face · net · toast · pitcher

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. face — part of the head
  9. swing — in golf
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. net — in sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. swing — music
  24. squash — the sport

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