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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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