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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — army training
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rush — hurry
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bulb — of a plant

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