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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: cabinet · chair · bowl · kid · swing · pop · fine · squash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. kid — child
  20. fine — all right
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — soda

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