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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — in football
  4. band — a music group
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — in sport
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a ring
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. swing — to play on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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