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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — part of the head
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — to come from

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