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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. swing — music
  5. key — in music
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. key — for a lock
  11. roll — a list
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — to recline
  16. swing — to play on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — crushed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. roll — on a roll

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