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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — music
  4. spring — the season
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spring — of water
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — finally
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — final
  19. field — a subject
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. field — farmland
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. swing — to play on

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