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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mate — a friend
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — to breed
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mate — a partner
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pop — soda
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pop — to visit
  21. band — a ring
  22. pop — music
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — a sauce

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