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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · can · rest · swing · saw · stick · march · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. rest — a break
  9. swing — in golf
  10. march — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — magic
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — music

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