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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. swing — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — a container
  9. fine — high quality
  10. track — to keep track
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fine — all right
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a music group

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