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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — to play on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. swing — in golf
  24. band — a ring

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