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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ground — the earth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. track — a song
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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