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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chest — of your body
  5. court — of law
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — a law
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — of a king
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rule — government
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a list
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — for sport

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