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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. jam — in traffic

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