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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: court · wind · band · mug · swing · cabinet · dip · pit

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — for sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of a king
  14. band — a ring
  15. mug — a cup
  16. swing — music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mug — a face
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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