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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — the amount
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitch — completely
  16. season — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bank — of a river
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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