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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — farmland
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pop — soda
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — a subject
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cap — of ice
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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