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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. swing — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — in golf
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. band — a music group
  18. deal — to handle

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