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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rush — hurry
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — low music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. field — for sport
  23. shower — rain
  24. prune — to trim

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