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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — after costs
  5. toast — bread
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. firm — a company
  9. field — a subject
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. firm — steady
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. firm — decided
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — a trail
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — rain
  24. toast — the most admired

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