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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — decided
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — a company
  11. game — a match
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — to crush
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. squash — the sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. firm — steady

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