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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — a series
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rock — a stone
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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