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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — rain
  4. swing — music
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. suit — to fit
  9. swing — to play on
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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