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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · bowl · object · mouse · swing · coach · bulb · net

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cold — not warm
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bulb — for light
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. object — a thing
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. net — for catching
  23. bulb — for light
  24. object — an aim

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