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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pit — a hole
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. swing — in golf
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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