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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: present · jam · racket · spell · march · straw · ground · cap

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — a lid
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. march — the month
  17. present — the time now
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — letters
  23. ground — crushed
  24. straw — a straw man

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