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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fork — in a road
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fork — to eat with

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