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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bound — certain
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the fish
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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