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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. swing — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. rule — government
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rush — to hurry

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