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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. object — a thing
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. object — an aim
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — certain
  22. spell — magic
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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