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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. key — in music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — the season
  15. roll — a list
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitch — completely
  18. key — for a lock
  19. spring — of water
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stand — to bear

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