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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fine — all right
  3. pop — soda
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — music
  10. press — to push
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. vault — a safe
  24. jam — a tight spot

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