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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. firm — a company
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. roll — a list
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. scale — size or range
  13. swing — in golf
  14. firm — decided
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. roll — a cake
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — steady
  20. perch — the fish
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. march — music

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