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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 · date · spell · club · straw · swing · chest · pitch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — letters
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitch — completely
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chest — of your body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. spell — magic

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