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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — to get on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — help
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — to come from
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. fine — all right

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