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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rash — hasty
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — bread
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — a container

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