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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — to go on
  6. rash — a series
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — finally
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fall — the season
  23. ground — a position
  24. saw — the tool

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