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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — child
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. present — the time now
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. present — there

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