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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wound — an injury
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — a subject
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wind — moving air

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