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

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. band — a music group
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rock — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — magic
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — a series
  21. swing — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rock — to move gently

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