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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · suit · wound · rush · swing · ball · squash · pop

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pop — soda
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pop — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. swing — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. march — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a dance
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. suit — to fit
  23. march — the month
  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