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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fork · swing · shower · content · game · hand · jam · present

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. hand — help
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. present — the time now
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. swing — music
  17. content — the amount
  18. hand — in cards
  19. present — a gift
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. shower — rain
  22. present — there
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — to play on

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