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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. craft — boats
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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