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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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 — to spread on bread
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — a group
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — magic
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — for golf
  22. net — in sport
  23. club — for dancing
  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