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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · band · swing · staff · degree · toast · rock · lash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rock — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pit — in a race
  19. swing — in golf
  20. staff — employees
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. swing — 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