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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spell — letters
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mate — to breed
  10. band — a ring
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bass — low music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bear — to put up with

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