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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the fish
  7. season — of the year
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rash — a series
  11. key — the most important part
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — not warm
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cold — an illness
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bass — low music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. season — in sport
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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