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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chair — a leader
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. suit — to fit
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. file — a document
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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