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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: bore · swing · tear · mouse · cue · jam · court · wound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cue — for pool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — of law
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mouse — for a computer

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