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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. row — a line
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — for digging
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. row — to paddle
  18. jam — a tight spot

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