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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mark — a trace
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — a series
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of a tree

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