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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. band — a music group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — soda
  9. field — a subject
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a ring
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — for sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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