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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. spell — letters
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cap — of ice
  11. club — for golf
  12. key — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spell — a short time
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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