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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 124 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — help
  4. object — an aim
  5. pop — soda
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. object — a thing
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. field — for sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. pop — to visit
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ruler — a monarch

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