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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: foot · prune · last · bat · jam · rush · wave · swing

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — final
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. prune — to trim
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — the animal
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rush — hurry
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  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