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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: season · arm · rest · fan · swing · jam · tear · kick

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — in golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rest — a break
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. season — in sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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