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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 · key · swing · chest · cold · scale · staff · stand

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cold — not warm
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. key — the most important part
  15. swing — in golf
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. staff — employees
  22. key — in music
  23. chest — a box
  24. scale — in music

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