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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. swing — music
  5. rock — music
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. last — final
  10. march — the month
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — letters
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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