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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a match
  14. march — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — dry grass

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