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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. track — a song
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — to keep track
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — a thing
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. track — a path
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spring — of water
  19. drill — army training
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rock — a stone
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rock — music
  24. spring — a coil

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