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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the fish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — of a plant
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — to crush
  16. face — to confront
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — the cause
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — in geometry

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