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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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — a gift
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — the time now
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. present — there
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. swing — to play on
  24. deal — a big deal

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