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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: racket · suit · swing · mug · band · ground · kid · dip

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. band — a ring
  3. swing — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. ground — a position
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ground — crushed
  8. suit — in cards
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mug — to rob
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ground — the earth
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — child
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a music group
  19. mug — a cup
  20. suit — clothes
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. dip — to sink
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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