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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — child
  17. swing — to play on
  18. snap — to click
  19. toast — bread
  20. pit — in a race
  21. field — farmland
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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