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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 120 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 · band · pitcher · suit · content · swing · march · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. suit — to fit
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — the amount
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — in golf
  21. band — a ring
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  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