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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — a song
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — in golf
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. track — a path
  14. present — the time now
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — there
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  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