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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to confront
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — to point toward
  18. file — a document
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — in golf
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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