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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — all right
  3. date — the fruit
  4. band — a ring
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — in golf
  8. board — a committee
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — to get on
  11. swing — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. band — a rubber band

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