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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: swing · last · bowl · pitcher · pop · fan · band · ball

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a ring
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pop — music
  19. swing — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. band — a rubber band

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