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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. field — for sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bat — the animal
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — soda
  24. stand — to bear

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