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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — a series
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — of the year
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — child
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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