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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · ball · march · jam · arm · prune · fine · bay

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. march — the month
  3. fine — all right
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ground — a position
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. march — the month
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. prune — the fruit

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