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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: swing · wake · date · pit · chest · deal · shower · calf

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a hole
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pit — in a race
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. shower — rain
  24. deal — to handle

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