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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lean — thin
  9. pass — a permit
  10. swing — to play on
  11. scale — in music
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — in cards
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hand — help
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lean — to bend
  20. net — for catching
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — in sport

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