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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. roll — a list
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rash — a series
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. roll — a cake
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — to visit

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