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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a match
  14. scale — in music
  15. band — a ring
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — the season
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a music group
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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