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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: game · rush · swing · cold · lie · rash · jam · lean

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — to recline
  9. swing — to play on
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — in golf
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. swing — music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. game — a match

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