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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — to handle
  5. swing — music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fall — the season
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. wake — a trail

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