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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. bound — tied together
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — letters
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — magic
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitch — completely

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