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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pop — soda
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — music
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ball — a dance
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mine — an explosive

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