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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a match
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. roll — a list
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rash — hasty
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. jam — in traffic

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