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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: court · spell · jam · file · pit · bore · game · swing

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — letters
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — a match
  13. court — for sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — music
  16. spell — magic
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — wild animals
  23. court — of law
  24. swing — in golf

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