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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spell — letters
  4. firm — a company
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. roll — a list
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spell — a short time
  10. firm — steady
  11. pitch — completely
  12. firm — decided
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spell — magic
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — rain
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — to wash
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stem — a stem cell

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