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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stand — to bear
  19. file — a document
  20. band — a ring
  21. craft — boats
  22. file — a tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — what's left

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