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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — a coil
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — of water
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — the season
  16. game — a match
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. land — ground
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — a supporter

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