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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. present — there
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tube — the underground
  8. present — the time now
  9. charge — a price
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — in golf
  19. march — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — part of the head

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