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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. drill — the tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. cell — a phone
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — low music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mark — a trace
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. roll — a list

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