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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. kick — in football
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cold — not warm
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. mine — an explosive

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