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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cue — for pool
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. file — a line of people
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — a phone
  23. band — a ring
  24. pound — for dogs

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