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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. file — a tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. file — a document
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a friend
  15. squash — to crush
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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