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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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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: cap · pound · jam · bear · cell · ball · sharp · date

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cap — of ice
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ball — a great time
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a lid

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