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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. band — a ring
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — a series
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stock — shares
  24. mate — to breed

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