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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ball — a dance
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a leader
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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