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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ball — a great time
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. staff — a stick
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bass — low music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — happy
  22. cue — a hint
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bass — the instrument

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