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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hand — help
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bass — low music
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rest — what's left
  24. squash — to crush

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