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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. band — a ring
  21. last — final
  22. bass — low music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fan — a supporter

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