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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a song
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chip — to eat
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pit — a hole
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. track — a path
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — a match
  18. season — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — a box
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  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