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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. staff — a stick
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spell — magic
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spell — letters

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