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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: pop · toast · roll · fork · bass · swing · fall · ruler

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. toast — bread
  6. pop — soda
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — the season
  15. pop — music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. roll — a list
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fork — a garden tool

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