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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pit — a hole
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pit — in a race
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. band — a ring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. last — final

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