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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 116 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: bay · swing · cue · stand · cold · bass · band · row

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. swing — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — the fish
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cold — not warm
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — a line
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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