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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — to play on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — child
  10. swing — in golf
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mug — a cup
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mug — a face
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. swing — music
  24. jam — in traffic

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