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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. swing — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. club — for golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. club — a group
  11. scale — size or range
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. band — a ring
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. swing — in golf
  24. band — a music group

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