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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — a series
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. swing — to play on
  7. last — to go on
  8. band — a ring
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — music
  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