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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: suit · land · toast · swing · game · plane · band · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — a country
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — a tool
  9. swing — music
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. band — a music group
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. swing — to play on
  23. band — a ring
  24. swing — in golf

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