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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. land — ground
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rest — a break
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. foot — a measure
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — the month
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. land — a country

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