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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. ruler — for measuring

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