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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — in golf
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. swing — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rock — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. swing — to play on
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — the fish

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