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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: sharp · club · swing · bat · jam · march · rash · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. swing — music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. club — for dancing
  20. face — part of the head
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. face — to point toward
  23. march — music
  24. sharp — clever

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