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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. squash — the sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. roll — a list
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wake — a trail
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. can — a tin

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