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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rash — hasty
  5. roll — a list
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ground — a position
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ground — the earth
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. file — a document
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — crushed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chest — a box
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. file — a tool

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