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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mug — a face
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fall — to drop
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. season — of the year
  19. date — the fruit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to click
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. date — on the calendar

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