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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — a practice
  5. present — the time now
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. squash — the sport
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. present — there
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — tied together
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — in biology

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