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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a music group
  5. swing — music
  6. rock — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a path
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — a song
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a ring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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