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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. race — a contest
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. swing — in golf
  6. clip — a video
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — to play on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. swing — music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — a hint
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — a thrill

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