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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: rush · court · bear · bore · hand · drill · jam · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. 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. swing — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. court — of a king
  14. hand — in cards
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bear — the animal
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of law
  23. swing — in golf
  24. 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