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

Word bank: jam · shower · date · rock · chest · swing · kid · chip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chest — a box
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. date — the fruit
  6. shower — rain
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — to tease
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. kid — child
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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