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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rock — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. date — the fruit
  16. season — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — the time now
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — a gift
  22. rock — a stone
  23. present — there
  24. bat — in an idiom

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