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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. swing — in golf
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. game — wild animals
  21. swing — to play on
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. jam — a tight spot

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