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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rush — hurry
  9. craft — boats
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — to point toward
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. roll — a list
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a skill
  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