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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: jam · swing · wind · staff · rest · shower · cell · lie

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. swing — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. rest — a break
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — a phone

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