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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rush — hurry
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. march — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — a partner
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. club — for golf
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — a group

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