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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — of water
  7. content — happy
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. bat — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. arm — part of the body

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