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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — for sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. lean — thin
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. court — of a king
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — of law
  23. lean — to bend
  24. date — on the calendar

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