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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. march — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. suit — clothes
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stand — to bear
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. swing — music

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