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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — of water
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. spell — letters
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spell — a short time
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. roll — a list
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spell — magic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. kid — to tease
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — the fruit
  20. current — electric
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kid — child
  24. current — happening now

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