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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — to wash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. swing — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — a song
  12. root — of a word
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — rain
  20. root — the cause
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — of a plant

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