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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — low music
  12. swing — music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bore — to drill
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — gave birth

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