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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — a lid
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — of ice
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. vault — a safe
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — to paddle
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — in golf

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