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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. swing — music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. swing — to play on
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. spell — magic
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — letters
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. root — of a word
  23. drill — the tool
  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