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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rock — a stone
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rock — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. clip — to cut
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. swing — in golf
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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