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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. swing — music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. branch — a division
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. swing — in golf
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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