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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've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a match
  13. present — there
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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