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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — a gift
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — in sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lash — an eyelash

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