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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a list
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. row — a line
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. toast — bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — of a tree

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