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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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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: spring · jam · game · ground · foot · pass · key · swing

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. key — in music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — in golf
  16. key — the most important part
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — the earth
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ground — crushed

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