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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bass — the fish
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — low music
  14. kick — in football
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. can — a tin
  19. lie — to recline
  20. can — a tin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lie — an untruth

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