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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — a subject
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — of the year
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — farmland
  12. fine — all right
  13. dip — to sink
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fine — high quality
  22. roll — a cake
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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