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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — to rip
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — a series
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — of the year
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — not warm

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