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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — certain
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. season — of the year
  11. swing — to play on
  12. season — in sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. deal — to handle
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bound — tied together
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ball — a dance
  24. trunk — of a tree

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