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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bank — for money
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. swing — music
  13. band — a ring
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. swing — to play on
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bank — of a river
  24. perch — the fish

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