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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rash — a series
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — of ice
  16. net — for catching
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — low music
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a lid

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