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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bass — low music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — final
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chest — a box
  11. bore — to drill
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — music
  16. toast — bread
  17. last — to go on
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bass — the fish
  21. last — finally
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bore — to tire
  24. roll — a list

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