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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. march — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. scale — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — letters
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — magic
  20. bulb — for light
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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