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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — magic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a match
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — a short time
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — money
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spell — letters
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — wild animals

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