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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rock — music
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fine — high quality
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. root — of a word
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mark — a grade
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — all right
  21. mark — a trace
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. leaves — to go away

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