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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pop — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bank — for money

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