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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. club — for golf
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — for catching
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — after costs
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. face — part of the head
  22. shower — rain
  23. club — a group
  24. face — to point toward

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