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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — to be able to
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — rain
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. capital — money
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. capital — a city
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — in a tire

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