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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. 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. fall — to drop
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. fall — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. swing — to play on
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. swing — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. 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