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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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 — a tight spot
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a document
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — of the year
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — in music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — in sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mark — a trace
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. file — a tool

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