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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pit — a hole
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bass — low music
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pop — music

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