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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — a gift
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pop — to visit
  13. present — there
  14. hand — help
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — soda
  17. fine — all right
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. hand — in cards
  23. last — finally
  24. present — the time now

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