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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a tool
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. roll — a cake
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. file — a document
  9. roll — a list
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — a match
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. deal — a big deal

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