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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — government
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rule — a law
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spring — of water
  20. swing — in golf
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — the season
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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