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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bass — low music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. degree — temperature

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