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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. ground — the earth
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bulb — for light
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — music
  16. date — the fruit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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