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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. swing — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a ring
  6. swing — in golf
  7. track — a song
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a music group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — to play on
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spring — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. track — a path

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