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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. spring — of water
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — final
  13. spring — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pit — a hole
  24. last — to go on

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