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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. spring — the season
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. swing — to play on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pop — soda
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — music
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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