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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. net — after costs
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. net — for catching
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mouse — for a computer

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