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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. pop — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pop — to visit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — part of the head
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to confront
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — soda
  24. squash — to crush

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