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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: kid · march · dip · file · swing · jam · rock · bound

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rock — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a document
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. kid — child
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. march — music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. file — a tool

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