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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ground — crushed
  5. present — a gift
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — to play on
  12. present — there
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — for catching
  18. swing — in golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — after costs
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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