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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — in sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. drill — army training
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — to come from
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — clothes
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. net — after costs
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. drill — the tool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. tube — a container

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