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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bass — low music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — a contest
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — of the year
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — humankind
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — to bend
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pop — soda
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — thin

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