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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. band — a ring
  3. firm — a company
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — letters
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. firm — decided
  14. pop — soda
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. swing — in golf

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