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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. club — for dancing
  3. degree — an amount
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — the fruit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — a group
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — to get on
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — low music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. bass — the fish
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. date — on the calendar

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