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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — all right
  5. face — to confront
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. band — a ring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chest — a box
  23. band — a music group
  24. pound — to hit hard

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