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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rock — music
  14. swing — music
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. rash — a series

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