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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. roll — a list
  6. chest — a box
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a cake
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — of your body
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. board — to get on
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. squash — to crush
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. roll — on a roll

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