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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. club — a group
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — in golf
  8. present — a gift
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. present — there
  14. land — ground
  15. lean — thin
  16. kick — in football
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. swing — to play on
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. swing — music

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