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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pop — to visit
  3. roll — a list
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — of a word
  8. rash — hasty
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rash — a series
  13. pop — music
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. roll — a cake
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — a box
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. root — the cause
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fine — all right

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