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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. last — finally
  5. court — for sport
  6. march — music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chip — to eat
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. firm — steady
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — final
  16. court — of a king
  17. last — to go on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — a company
  24. bass — the fish

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