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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — a gift
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. suit — in cards
  8. swing — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. ground — crushed
  12. branch — a division
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. swing — in golf
  16. suit — clothes
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ground — a position
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — to fit

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