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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fall — the season
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. last — final
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — to go on
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cabinet — ministers

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