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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — a position
  8. bass — low music
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mate — a friend

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