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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bat — the animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. toast — bread
  13. tear — from crying
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bowl — a football final

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