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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — to come down
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. land — ground
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. present — there
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — a tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. present — a gift
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — a country

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