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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — a hat
  18. march — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cue — a signal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — a friend

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