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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. swing — music
  8. last — final
  9. suit — to fit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — a friend
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — to breed
  19. last — finally
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. last — to go on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — to play on

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