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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. last — finally
  3. charge — a price
  4. ball — a dance
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — to breed
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — in control
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fork — in a road

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