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

Word bank: march · deal · snap · swing · rock · bear · hand · rest

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rock — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — to handle
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rock — a stone
  19. snap — to click
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — a break
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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