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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: rash · cell · straw · suit · swing · ball · march · band

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — a series
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. swing — to play on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — in cards
  15. rash — hasty
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. march — music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — the month
  24. suit — to fit

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