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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ground — a position
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — crushed

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