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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — to fit
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. field — for sport
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — a subject
  8. suit — clothes
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cold — not warm
  14. land — a country
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — ground
  17. pop — to visit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pop — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — soda
  24. cold — an illness

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