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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a ring
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a music group
  11. pit — in a race
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — in control
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pit — a hole

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