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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — low music
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. can — to be able to
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bass — the fish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. drill — army training
  17. snap — to click
  18. club — a group
  19. drill — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. swing — to play on
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. swing — in golf

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