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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 — a tight spot
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — the animal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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