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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bass — the fish
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bass — low music
  7. spell — letters
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. track — a path
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. band — a ring
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a music group
  18. last — final
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — finally

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