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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a music group
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a ring
  24. plane — a tool

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