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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — of a word
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. root — the cause
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — to play on
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mate — to breed
  21. swing — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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