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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. net — in sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — a face
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. band — a ring
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stock — goods
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stock — shares
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. net — for catching
  24. jam — in traffic

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