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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a ring
  14. season — of the year
  15. fall — to drop
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — to trim
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bass — the instrument

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