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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — clever
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — a path
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. swing — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rash — on the skin

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