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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — shares
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. capital — money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stock — goods
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mate — a friend
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — a supporter

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