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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — to breed
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — of water
  20. field — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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