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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. snap — to click
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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