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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. row — a line
  3. swing — in golf
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. spring — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. swing — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. race — humankind
  13. spring — a coil
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — to play on
  18. toast — bread
  19. spring — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pop — soda
  24. row — to paddle

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