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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. swing — in golf
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rush — hurry
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. march — music
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. march — the month

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