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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. suit — to fit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. suit — clothes
  6. fork — in a road
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rash — hasty
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — a series
  17. spring — a coil
  18. row — a line
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spring — the season
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fork — a garden tool

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