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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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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: wound · swing · toast · squash · ruler · racket · bat · spell

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — bread
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. swing — in golf
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. swing — music

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