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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wound — an injury
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. suit — clothes
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. suit — to fit
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. can — a tin
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pit — a hole
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — from a university
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pit — in a race
  19. shower — rain
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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