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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: mark · season · jam · band · firm · rule · swing · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rule — a law
  3. band — a music group
  4. mark — a trace
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. firm — steady
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — government
  12. swing — to play on
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. firm — decided
  18. swing — music
  19. firm — a company
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. club — a group

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