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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. key — for a lock
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spring — a coil
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. key — in music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. jam — a tight spot

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