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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chair — a leader
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. toast — bread
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — of law
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tube — the underground
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tube — a container
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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