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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. game — a match
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — letters
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ball — a great time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spell — magic
  24. cabinet — ministers

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