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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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 — in golf
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. swing — music
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. land — ground
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bear — to put up with
  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