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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. branch — a division
  3. present — there
  4. drill — the tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. land — ground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — a country
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — a practice
  15. swing — music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. present — the time now
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — to come down
  23. drill — army training
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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