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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: swing · ground · bear · cell · calf · kid · jam · hand

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kid — child
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — help

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