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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — to come down
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. shower — rain
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — magic
  19. land — ground
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bear — to put up with

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