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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tube — a container
  5. toast — bread
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pop — to visit
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pop — music

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