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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. spring — the season
  10. squash — to crush
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — a container
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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