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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. last — final
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a ring
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — for golf
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — the fruit
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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