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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fall — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mug — a face
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bass — low music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. club — a group
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pit — a hole

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