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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: staff · band · pass · mark · pop · pitcher · swing · clip

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. swing — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — in golf
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — a video
  24. mark — a trace

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