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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the fish
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — low music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. roll — a list
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. branch — a division
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pound — a weight
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — hasty

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