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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: swing · cue · scale · chest · safe · clip · jam · rule

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rule — government
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chest — a box
  9. swing — music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rule — a law
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. swing — to play on
  19. clip — a video
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — for paper
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — to cut

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