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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 · bay · chair · land · wave · swing · bore · kid

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chair — a leader
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — to drill
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. kid — child
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. land — a country
  21. swing — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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