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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — the amount
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bass — low music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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