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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. ball — a dance
  3. capital — money
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rule — a law
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — soda
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cap — a hat
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a great time

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