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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. roll — a list
  5. rock — a stone
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. roll — a cake
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. last — final
  12. swing — in golf
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. board — a committee
  21. swing — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. calf — of the leg

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