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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. swing — music
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — obliged
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. band — a music group
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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