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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — all right
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. object — a thing
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. object — to protest
  15. spell — letters
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. fine — high quality

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