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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. band — a music group
  6. court — for sport
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — of law
  11. club — a group
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bass — the fish
  14. band — a ring
  15. mate — a friend
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — low music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. suit — in cards
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wind — moving air
  23. toast — bread
  24. court — of a king

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