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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pop — soda
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — a cake
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chest — of your body
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. jam — in traffic

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