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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. march — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — the month
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — in biology
  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