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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. root — of a word
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — in sport
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rash — a series
  21. root — of a plant
  22. swing — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — to sink

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