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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. scale — size or range
  5. last — to go on
  6. spring — of water
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. current — happening now
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. scale — in music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. last — finally
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — a coil
  18. dip — to sink
  19. last — final
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — for weighing

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