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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mate — a friend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — thin
  6. swing — music
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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