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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · bass · wake · sharp · nail · toast · rule · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rule — a law
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. toast — bread
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wound — an injury

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