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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. hand — help
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — size or range
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. land — ground
  16. hand — in cards
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. club — for golf
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — the animal

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