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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. date — the fruit
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — a match
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. last — final
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for dancing
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. last — to go on

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