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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — a partner
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. calf — a young animal

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