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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — the season
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — the earth

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