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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: fine · game · hand · track · pitcher · deal · ball · swing

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hand — help
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fine — all right
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. swing — in golf
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a great time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — a path

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