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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. present — there
  3. degree — temperature
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — from a university
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — rain
  14. present — a gift
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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