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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: sharp · track · bass · pit · leaves · plane · last · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pit — a hole
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bass — the fish
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. last — final
  18. track — a path
  19. plane — a tool
  20. track — a song
  21. last — to go on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bass — low music

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