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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: row · jam · drill · swing · spell · bore · land · chip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. swing — in golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. swing — music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spell — a short time
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. drill — army training
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spell — letters
  18. row — a line
  19. chip — to eat
  20. swing — to play on
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — magic
  24. land — a country

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