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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: fan · track · jam · swing · leaves · racket · game · arm

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. swing — in golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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