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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 · cold · arm · fine · game · squash · suit · wind

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cold — an illness
  9. swing — to play on
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a kind of play

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