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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. drill — a practice
  3. roll — a cake
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spell — a short time
  7. last — to go on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tear — to rip
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — finally
  17. spell — magic
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a grade
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mark — a trace

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