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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. swing — to play on
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. band — a ring
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spell — magic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — hurry
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. game — a kind of play

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