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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — to come from
  3. club — a group
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ball — a dance
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. club — for golf
  24. stem — a stem cell

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