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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — to visit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. swing — music

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