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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a song
  10. drill — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — letters
  19. game — wild animals
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a match
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — magic

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