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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. prune — to trim
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. capital — a city
  8. deal — to handle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ball — a great time
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — money

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