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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kid — to tease
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — child
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — in music
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. swing — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bass — low music
  24. key — for a lock

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