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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · arm · chest · lie · jam · land

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. 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. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. swing — to play on
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chest — a box
  16. land — a country
  17. chest — of your body
  18. 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