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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ground — a position
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. club — a group
  13. roll — a cake
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for golf
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — the earth
  24. jam — in traffic

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