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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. suit — in cards
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — an illness
  8. date — the fruit
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. suit — clothes
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — ground
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — magic
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cold — not warm
  23. suit — to fit
  24. racket — for tennis

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