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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. track — a song
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — low music
  24. band — a music group

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