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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. swing — music
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. staff — a stick
  5. swing — in golf
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — in a race
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — a video
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — to cut
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. swing — to play on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pit — a hole

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