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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. plane — a tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — help
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. swing — music
  7. last — final
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pit — a hole
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — finally
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — in cards
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — to go on
  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