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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · chest · jam · wave · wound · track · dip · game

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. track — a path
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a match
  15. club — for golf
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. track — to keep track
  18. club — a group
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. game — a kind of play

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