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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — a practice
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mug — a face
  13. tube — the underground
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — of the year
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tube — a container
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. drill — army training

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