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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: bass · rule · perch · hand · band · swing · cabinet · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. toast — bread
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rule — a law
  12. band — a music group
  13. rule — government
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bass — the fish
  19. band — a ring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — help

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