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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — the fruit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. spring — of water
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — for pool
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a hint
  24. game — a match

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