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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — for golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mate — to breed
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. spring — of water

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