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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — in sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — soda
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rash — a series
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rash — hasty
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. club — a group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — in golf
  24. deal — a big deal

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