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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. toast — bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — to come down
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — a country
  13. dip — to sink
  14. capital — money
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spell — letters
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. racket — for tennis

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