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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. club — a group
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — in football
  22. club — for golf
  23. swing — in golf
  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