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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. suit — clothes
  3. squash — the sport
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. suit — in cards
  12. march — music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. suit — to fit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. degree — an amount

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