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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ground — a position
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — the fish
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fine — all right
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — low music

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