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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. root — the cause
  7. rash — a series
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — magic
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — the season
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a word
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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