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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a music group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. file — a tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a line of people
  20. toast — bread
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chest — a box
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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