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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — music
  5. land — to come down
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. foot — a measure
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. land — a country
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — ground

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