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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: roll · jam · pop · rash · arm · fine · cell · drill

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — a list
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — a series
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pop — to visit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cell — in biology
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — all right
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — music
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — a phone
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rash — on the skin

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