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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bore — to tire
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lie — to recline
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — gave birth

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