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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a music group
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — letters
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spell — magic
  20. band — a ring
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — to grow
  24. swing — to play on

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