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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. swing — in golf
  3. club — a group
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — to play on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rock — music

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