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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. roll — a cake
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. degree — from a university
  24. roll — a list

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