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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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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: swing · season · wave · ruler · snap · rock · file · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. snap — to click
  3. file — a tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rock — a stone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a document
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — of the year
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wave — with your hand

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