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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fall — the season
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. land — ground
  8. court — of law
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. object — an aim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bark — to shout
  16. object — a thing
  17. court — of a king
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — a country
  21. object — to protest
  22. toast — bread
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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