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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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 — to spread on bread
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cell — in biology
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. scale — size or range
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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