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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — humankind
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. file — a document
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. file — a tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. file — a line of people

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