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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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468
Word bank
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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kick — in football
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. degree — an amount
  23. file — a document
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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