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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. swing — to play on
  9. firm — a company
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — from a university
  14. firm — steady
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a partner
  19. present — there
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. firm — decided

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