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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. charge — a price
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a ring
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — music
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. row — a line
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — in golf

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