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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pop — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — to paddle
  12. swing — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — music
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lash — to lash out

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