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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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Word bank
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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: game · suit · key · row · march · swing · bat · straw

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. suit — clothes
  3. key — in music
  4. row — a line
  5. key — the most important part
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. march — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. suit — to fit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — in cards
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — for baseball

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