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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. shower — rain
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — in sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. dip — to sink
  12. shower — to wash
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. court — of law
  23. cap — a lid
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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