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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. swing — to play on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. swing — in golf
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — to visit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. row — to paddle
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. row — a line

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