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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: chest · jam · wake · rock · toast · firm · band · swing

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — music
  3. swing — music
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rock — a stone
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a music group
  14. wake — a trail
  15. toast — bread
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — to play on
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. firm — decided
  21. band — a ring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — a company
  24. rock — to move gently

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