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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. court — of law
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — money
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. court — for sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mug — a cup
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. leaves — lets stay

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