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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — to rip
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. swing — to play on
  8. last — final
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — to go on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — an explosive

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