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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lean — thin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — to play on
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. roll — a list
  21. rash — a series
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lean — to bend

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