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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. shower — rain
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. swing — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. object — to protest
  12. band — a music group
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. swing — in golf
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — a thing
  20. fork — in a road
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. snap — to click
  23. deal — to handle
  24. object — an aim

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