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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. swing — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wake — a trail
  16. kid — child
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — to tease
  21. field — farmland
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. band — a music group
  24. wake — before a funeral

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