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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — in biology

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