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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: season · swing · temple · bound · toast · kid · bass · last

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. kid — child
  4. bound — tied together
  5. season — in sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — final
  11. bass — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. last — finally
  15. bound — obliged
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. last — to go on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. toast — bread
  24. bass — low music

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