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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. squash — to crush
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. file — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bulb — for light
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fine — all right
  17. file — a document
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to click
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — to drop

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