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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. band — a music group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rash — a series
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — on the skin

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